Deterioration of the hip joint socket or acetabulum requires that an acetabular cup be cemented into the acetabulum to provide the socket for slidably receiving the head. In order to reduce the likelihood of dislocation of the hip, it is very important to accurately position the cup within the acetabulum.
An acetabular cup is positioned by establishing abduction and anteversion angles for the cup. An acetabular cup positioner is used to position the acetabular cup and to hold the cup in position while the cement is hardening. An acetabular cup positioner may include a head which is received within the acetabular cup and one or more arms for moving the head and the acetabular cup. With the head oriented with respect to the acetabular cup, the arm can be moved to position the acetabular cup in the acetabulum. It is known to provide the positioner with an arm that can be rotated to a vertical position to thereby establish the desired abduction angle. The anteversion angle, is obtained utilizing an anteversion guide which measures the anteversion angle from the coronal plane. In other instances, the anteversion angle is established by the surgeon approximating the anteversion angle. In this latter case, the possibility of misorientation and consequent dislocation is increased. The use of a separate anteversion guide unduly complicates the surgical procedures.